Work machines such as, for example, wheel loaders, track type tractors, on-highway trucks, and other types of machinery are often equipped with sensors for measuring various operating conditions of the work machine. These operating conditions could include, for example, engine RPM, oil pressure, water temperature, boost pressure, oil contamination levels, electric motor current, hydraulic pressures, system voltage, fuel consumption, payload, ground speed, transmission ratio, cycle time, global position, and the like. Processors and communications devices may be provided on the work machine for receiving the operating conditions, processing data associated with the operating conditions, and communicating the processed data to an offboard system for evaluation of machine performance.
One such system is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,751,541 (the '541 patent) by Komatsu et al., issued on Jun. 15, 2004. In particular, the '541 patent describes a system for transmitting operational data of a working machine. The system includes a CPU arranged on a working machine to produce operation data in accordance with signals output from various sensors. This data is stored in a memory unit on the basis of time, depending upon the day. The data is then outputted via a satellite from the working machine to an earth station. It is possible to set different transmitting times for individual working machines so that the operation data can be transmitted from individual working machines to the earth station without overlapping.
Although the transmitting system of the '541 patent may sufficiently transmit operational data for a particular working machine, it may do so inefficiently. Specifically, a transmission of data from one working machine may only be desired or useful based on a transmission of data from another working machine or when the working machine is in a specific geographical region. Because the transmitting system of the '541 patent always transmits at the preset time regardless of these other conditions, it may occasionally transmit unnecessarily or undesirably.
The disclosed system is directed to overcoming one or more of the problems set forth above.